


Before all was Lost

by LavenderMochi



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: i have no idea what to put in the tags, light spoilers...i guess??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-09 19:43:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11675802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderMochi/pseuds/LavenderMochi
Summary: Set directly after memory 15 (Return of Calamity Ganon), and directly before the Champions' death. Calamity Ganon had returned to wreak havoc upon Hyrule once again! From the Lanayru East Gate, Link and Zelda part ways with the Champions to make their way to the castle, and the Champions return to their Divine Beasts in preparation for their attack on Calamity Ganon. What awaited for the Champions when they got to their Beasts, however, was something nobody could have foreseen coming.





	1. The Fall of the Zora Champion Mipha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mipha arrives to her Divine Bast when things begin to go awry...

Mipha got to her Divine Beast first. After all, it was only a short hike north through the Lanayru Heights to the Great Lanayru Spring. When she got there, she spent little time thinking of her family. Should she visit them before trying to defeat Calamity Ganon? Mipha wasn't sure she could at that moment, but she also wasn't sure if she would see them again, should anything go wrong. At least, in a distance, she had a decent view of her father focusing on his assigned duties, and her dear younger brother playing with the water surrounding Zora Plaza.

Regardless, Mipha somewhat reluctantly boarded Vah Ruta, the gentle hum of the mechanical elephant warming her bones with familiarity. Ruta told her, _I am ready for you. When it is time, we will give Calamity Ganon all we have._

Mipha brushed the metallic lining of her divine creature, cooing, “I know Ruta. At long last.”

She made her way to the main control unit, the glow of blue reflecting on the water below. Everything seemed to be running just fine. As soon as Link gave the signal, Ruta will be ready to release its power.

Link. Mipha sighed, clasping her hands together. _I pray to the Goddess Hylia...please keep Link safe, should anything happen to him_.

Mipha look to her hand, uncalloused compared to Link's hands, and she sighed again, shaking her head. She wouldn't be able to heal Link from this distance, or maybe she could, she didn't know. She felt like she was betraying her promise to protect him because she wasn't _there_ to heal him in a moments notice. So naturally, Mipha couldn't help but feel uneasy about the situation. It _was_ Calamity Ganon they were facing, after all.

“Alright, Ruta. Let's aim for the castle.” Mipha ordered softly, her hand on the beast' control panel.

Link would arrive at the castle in no time. Ruta would be ready. Calamity Ganon was already easily overwhelmed, no? With the Master Sword wielded by Link and not one, but four Divine Beasts, everything should go according to plan, right? Mipha felt nervous.

That nervous feeling intensified not two seconds later, when the control panel suddenly began to burn the tips of her fingers. Mipha retreated her arm quickly with a small cry of surprise, and she clutched the injured hand close to her chest.

 _A...A...Aim for Calami-i-i- Calamity. C-Callibration f-failed._ _Security breached. Manual overri- access granted._

Mipha stopped moving, save for her limbs shaking with horror.

“Ruta! What's happening?” Mipha asked softly, her voice echoing off the hollow walls. She received no response. Scarier still, she found she couldn't _feel_ Ruta's soothing presence anymore.

Ruta let out a loud cry, its trunk swinging with displeasure. Mipha placed her hands back on the control panel in urgency, shouting, “No, no, no. Ruta! Focus! What are you doing?!”

The palm of her hand sizzled as it seared, but she pushed through to retrieve something more important: The connection with her beast.

The control panel was glowing a menacing hue of orange. The normal blue color of Ruta's walls now turned into a reddish pink. Water was beginning to spew from the tip of Ruta's trunk, despite Mipha not even giving the command. _This is not good at all._

Mipha pulled back from the panel, sobbing in pain and confusion. What was happening? What was happening to Ruta?

Ruta was moving now. What could Mipha do?! She couldn't stop the beast, and she couldn't try to reconnect with Ruta via the panel; her hand was beyond injured to even bend at the fingers. The only thing she could think of doing is heading towards the exit of the beast to escape! Heart beating fast, she ran from the panel to the exit whilst simultaneously using her powers of healing. She took a sharp left, only to fall into what looked like growing Calamity, which was blocking the exit.

The oozing, black and purple stuff was overwhelmingly hot to the touch. Upon contact with it, Mipha screamed, the burn scarring the right side of her body. Quickly, trying to be strong, she scrambled to her knees, tears blurring her vision. She retreated back into the beast, too scared to go back to try the panel, and too trapped to use the exit.

She peered out beyond the Calamity, which was growing at an alarming rate, and tried to recognize the view from what little she had. Out in a distance, she could see the tailfin of Zora's domain quickly disappear from view and even further from that, she could see Death Mountain. And Rudania. Rudania? What was it doing, heading in the _opposite_ direction of Calamity Ganon?! Mipha was _sure_ Daruk wouldn't be so reckless, despite his troubles in piloting the beast at first. But, upon closer, yet brief, examination, Mipha realized something horrible had befallen— or _must have_ befallen—Rudania as well.

Mipha stumbled back a bit, shock written in her expression. _How could this be? Calamity Ganon...couldn't have taken over_ _all_ _the Divine Beast_ _s_ _, could it?_

Mipha was filled with dread. No, it couldn't be possible. Hylia wouldn't allow it, would she? That would destroy the balance, right?

“What do I do?” Mipha asked herself, alone, as she sobbed.

A sudden epiphany brought light to the fact that there wasn't solely _one_ exit on Ruta. She could always try leaving via trunk.

Mipha hurried to make her way to Ruta's head, grabbing the Lightscale Trident which rested on the side of Ruta's cool metal as she ran. She hung onto it with a tight grip, ready to best whatever blocked her way.

The waterfall typically there to bring her up was turned off for some reason, so it gave her no choice but to walk to the trunk. That was fine, except Mipha didn't have the power to turn the gears by herself to _get_ to the trunk. In order to do that, she would have to go to be able to control her beast, or access the guidance stone which contained the map, but she couldn't do that without a compatible Shiekah Slate. Mipha dropped to her knees and began crying.

She was so helpless! Ruta was out of her control—possibly, almost definitely in Calamity Ganon's grasps, she couldn't escape, she couldn't aid Link _or_ help him fight...she couldn't do anything On top of that, she lost a friend, Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Was there any way to make things right?

 _Mipha, there is no time to cry_ , Mipha s colded herself, _You need to be brave. The world depends on you. The future of your race depends on you. Remember_ _y_ _our father believes_ _you can do it_ _._ _Remember_ _those times your brother said he wanted to be just like you_.

Mipha rose to her feet, confidence wavering, but there. No, Calamity Ganon will _not_ gain power from _her_ Divine Beast, especially not to benefit the cause of Hyrule's downfall.

Mipha ran back to the ramp which led her to the second level, only this time she was traveling back to the main floor. Mipha briefly caught sight of her surroundings, only then noticing Ruta had stopped moving.

They were at the Great Reservoir Lake. Perfectly secluded from everything.

 _Great,_ Mipha thought, feeling a little optimistic, _At least now Ruta can do little harm_.

Suddenly, there was a great quake which shook Mipha to her core and sent her tumbling off her feet. The Divine Beast cried out as if it was in pain. Mipha, on her knees, tried to shush it by petting it's metal, even though she was sure Ruta was a lost cause.

“It's okay, Ruta.” Mipha said, sniffling, “Everything will be okay.” _Once I figure things out_.

And that's when she heard it.

It was a low growl at first, easy to miss if not familiar with the typical sounds that came with the Divine Beast, until it escalated into something deafening which sounded like a cross between a screech and a roar.

Mipha leapt to her feet, trident tight in her grasp.

 _Oh, please, Hylia, let me overcome whatever challenges approach me_.

Mipha raced down to the main control unit—that's where she heard the sound—and stopped dead in her tracks when she arrived.

It was horrid. The thing before her was bubbling like the skin on her burnt shoulder, morphing into something utterly revolting. It was a Calamity mass with stiff red mane protruding from its back, a mask of black revealing a single eye, and one arm equipped with seemed like a spear. Mipha shuddered, her heart beating faster than it was before. She closed her eyes, hoping this was all some kind of bad dream, but when it screeched again, she realized the gravity of the situation.

There was no way out but to fight. Mipha dreaded that thought. There was no hope she could match its overwhelming power of darkness, not even as a spears-man of her caliber.

Yet, there was nothing left to do.

Mipha steeled herself through her trembling, and she walked in with all the grace she could muster.

“I am Mipha, Champion and Princess of the Zora. I am the assigned pilot of the Divine Beast Vah Ruta, chosen by the Royal Family of Hyrule.” Mipha readied her trident, “You will release Ruta from your clutches or dare stare in the face of Hylia herself.”

It shared no emotions, lifting its speared hand in a menacing gesture and promptly threw it to Mipha's direction with what sounded like a low chuckle.

Mipha dodged just in the nick of time, the spear of light only grazing her shoulder a little. Mipha took time to recover, wincing as she touched the cut with delicate fingers. _Only a cut, not enough blood to be worried about. Focus, Mipha_.

Mipha began running towards the monstrous thing with a sudden burst of courage. It was within ever fiber of her being to run, but with all at stake, she couldn't.

Link was depending on her to be brave. Or at least she hoped. Link, her childhood crush, her potential husband...Mipha wanted nothing more than to give Link a lifetime of love and protection, just like she promised.

So she made sure her attacks counted.

With a swift step forward, she dug the peaks of her trident into the monster's flesh and jumped back, away from its sickening darkness. As expected, the thing screamed, summoning another spear to its hand.

Mipha readied herself again, but this time it pulled the spear back, then jabbed it towards the Zora Princess. Mipha hopped to the side, easily avoiding the attack. Before she could advance to attack again, it repeated the motion, this time recklessly swinging the spear from side to side.

Mipha took a blow to the ankles, splashing as she fell onto her hip in the water. She scrambled to her feet in a second, but the thing was quicker, and knocked her back down to the ground as soon as she got up. She grunted in pain, but she didn't let down her guard. _It has a long reach, that spear. Noted._

Mipha, back now faced towards the monster, thought quickly and used the blunt end of her trident to prod it, effectively knocking it back.

 _You need to get up and fight it back with every fiber of your being,_ she could hear her fellow Champion Daruk telling her, just like that one time they were sparring, _Fighting is tough, and you're a tough girl. Resist, then retaliate._

With new strength, she got up and turned, stabbing her weapon into its flesh again and again, as many times as she could manage before it eventually warped away.

 _It can warp?_ Mipha thought, feeling less than enthusiastic about _that_ piece of information.

It appeared again back in front of the control panel, making a motion with his hand. In an instant, the water level rose, effective in lifting Mipha up from the ground.

It seemed this thing wasn't exactly the brightest bulb. The Zora were quite obviously an aquatic race, so the water was not a big deal. In fact, it was almost beneficial to Mipha. The only downfall of the change was the fact she couldn't wield her trident as effectively. If she weren't a Zora, however, she could see how this could change the tide of the battle.

The monster was floating, that was another issue. Mipha couldn't get close. Unlike her fellow Champion Revali, Mipha had no gift for the air.

It took a couple frustrating minutes of circling around the monster before Mipha decided to fight from the platforms she never even noticed were surfaced.

“I am Mipha. I am the Zora Champion. I can do this.” Mipha said, gritting her teeth as she tried to lunge to the scourge. She could only reach so far, though, unlike the monster's spear, which Mipha completely forgot about until she felt the tip of it dig into her clavicle.

She cried out, tumbling into the water with a flop. The water felt soothing, but it stung around her wounds. Or maybe that was the creature's eye burning its hollow stare onto her skin. Mipha swam in the water for a bit to catch her breath and try to heal. This was not going very well. It was strong, and Mipha could not even touch it. Worse, she could feel her exhaustion beginning to creep into her bones.

_I need to hurry. If I don't do this now, Hyrule will fall!_

Mipha resurfaced and pulled herself up on a platform far away from the monster. Not that it would matter—it still had its spear. Mipha looked in her hands, particularly her trident, and then up to the beast.

 _Its eye must be the weak spot._ Mipha r ub bed the smooth metal of her trident, _Maybe I could deliver it a final blow. I'd have to be sure. Really sure_.

Mipha looked up to it as it stared at her. She fixed her posture, spear lifted, actions true.

_I'm sure._

With a swift swing of her arm, the Lightscale Trident was airborn, heading straight towards the enemy. Her aim was perfect. Her strength was overwhelming.

But not enough.

It cried out, flinging its body like a sandbag onto one of the platforms. Mipha wondered if it was truly dead, but by the way it was breathing gruffly, Mipha's fears were confirmed. Albeit weak, the thing was still alive and Mipha didn't have her trident anymore. She laughed bitterly—had she been Urbosa, she would have tried punching the thing, but she wasn't. Everything was hopeless.

In a last-ditch effort to save Ruta, perhaps even the world, Mipha dove back into the water towards the now-submerged control panel.

She reached out, praying, _Please Ruta, come back to me! Hyrule depends on us! I can_ _not_ _do this without you!_

But there was no reply, not even from the Goddess offering her sympathies. Maybe this _was_ how fate was supposed to be laid out. Maybe Mipha was meant to face her end here. Alone.

And let down everyone down. Hyrule. Zelda. The Champions. Link.

The thing behind her began to rise. Mipha tracked its reflection on the water before turning around with a dejected sigh.

The mass of Calamity loomed over her with malicious intentions, a look of obvious displeasure shining in its eye.

Mipha looked to it with a stare that said ' _I will never bow down to you. For the sake of my people and the sake of Hyrule!_ '

Water dripping from its mass, with a wave of its hand, it summoned cubes of ice from the water and raised its spear above its head, ready to strike the Zora Champion.

Mipha closed her eyes, letting a single tear roll down her cheek.

 _I'm sorry. I tried my best. I'm sorry my best wasn't enough. Father, Sidon,_ _Princess, the Champions...Link...I will miss you all_ _so terribly_ _._

And that was the last thought that crossed Mipha's mind before she lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Mipha. I want more awesome Mipha fics (Where she is actually a tough girl!!).  
> Also, did you know Mipha is awesome?


	2. The Defeat of the Goron Champion Daruk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daruk arrives at his Divine Beast only to face his own fate.

Daruk followed Mipha to the Lanayru Heights until they reached Rutella River. Mipha dove into the water to reach Vah Ruta, parting with Darku as he made his way to the bridge somewhat northwest from his current position he needed to cross in order to reach Vah Rudania. Then, he needed to face the climb of Death Mountain—no easy task, if not a Goron, that is.

He passed his village before working up the volcano, the warmth of the air revitalizing his passion for wanting to protect the peace of Hyrule. He bid farewell to his family and the Elder, then left with the  b oulder  b reaker slung over his shoulder.

_Gee, I do hope nothing horrible happens. I would sure hate to be the cause of grief,_ T hought the Goron Champion as he began scaling the mountain,  _Well, that's to say something goes wrong. The Princess said with technology of this magnitude, there's no way anything could go wrong. I trust the Princess._

After a rather short climb,  Daruk  wa s the second one to  make it to his Divine Beast.

Rudania hung on to the harsh ridges of Death Mountain's rock  with its delicate claws , unmoving like a predator ready to attack on its pray. And, as far as Daruk knew, that was  exactly the case.

Daruk boarded his loyal lizard beast in earnest, roaring words of encouragement to the metal monster,  which seemed to work in riling it up.

“Ganon is about to wish he never came back, Rudania!” Daruk said with a hearty chuckle, placing his hand on the control panel, “Let's start by aiming! The little guy will need our help soon, and we'll be ready when he is!”

Rudania purred loudly  with a happy swish of its tail and  beg an crawl ing up the mountain to get a higher vantage point  and an easier focus on the target: Hyrul e Castle.

“ This is the highest you're gonna get, pal. Now we just sit still and wait for the moment.” Daruk wondered if he would know  _when_ that was, because nobody actually told him. Urbosa said it was like a feeling—now, what did she compare it as, again? 'The feeling you get when you know you're going to win a fight,'  _that's_ how she put it!

Daruk took a seat on Rudania's hot metal and fiddled with his fingers. He was feeling very excited, like the flavors of victory were just  _waiting_ to be tasted.

Daruk looked to the castle as Rudania did, and he sighed, thinking of the Zelda. Daruk's belief in her never faltered, despite everything. Daruk felt like he somehow  _knew_ that if  _anybody_ could seal Calamity Ganon away, it was Zelda. Daruk just hoped her sacred powers of sealing away the darkness would awaken soon enough.

And Link would be there to support her all the way through. Link was certainly brave and deserving of the title 'the Hylian Champion.' He trusted Link would protect Zelda with all his power, though Daruk wished he w ere there at the Hyrule Castle  in order  to aid the duo,  too.

But, of course, Daruk knew he was much more useful here, on Rudania, ready to strike Ganon in a moment's notice.

Suddenly, Rudania twitched, as if something in the air had bothered it. Daruk took quick notice, shifting to his knees and resting a comforting hand on Rudania's back.

“What is it, Rudania? What's troubling you? Tell me.” Daruk said softly.

He got a simple albeit chilling response from his Beast, the 'feeling' of its voice seemingly distorted and hollow.

“ _Calamity Ganon_ .”

And then, Rudania began to shift from it's perfect position atop Death Mountain, turning to head down the mountain. Daruk exclaimed in surprise, racing over to the control panel to try to stop the divine creature from getting further from their target.

“Woah, there, Rudania!” shouted Daruk, placing his hands onto the panel to try to calm the malfunctioning beast.

_Calm_ , Daruk reminded himself of Mipha's words of wisdom,  _Always command_ _from the heart, n_ _ever_ _from power or science_ .

Right. This was no big deal. Daruk was used to slip-ups in his command on Rudania, mostly because he was still heavily inexperienced. Daruk just 'told' Rudania to turn back around, like he had been taught to. Maybe it was something he 'said' that made Rudania move away from the target.

_No big deal. No big deal_ . Daruk kept on repeating to himself.

But Rudania was resisting, and aggressively, too. Daruk, patient as always, figured to let Rudania make the round of the mountain first, that way it would be easier to return Rudania to its previous perch instead of forcing it to turn around.

Well, that would have been the case if Rudania hadn't decided to just stop someplace on the  _opposite_ side of Death Mountain's base. Much of the mountain  now  obscured Hyrule Castle,  too obscure to aim let alone  _attack_ Calamity Ganon, and that's when Daruk grew wearily confused.  What was happening to Rudania now?

Daruk kept his hands on the control panel, determined to know what  _exactly_ was the issue,  only to pull back when the  sudden  feeling of bone-chilling ice  instantly numbed his fingers.  Daruk exclaimed again in surprise, this time  _knowing_ something was amiss.

“What in Din's name is happening?” Daruk asked,  massaging the tips of his fingers to relieve the pain.

Daruk froze as he began to notice, and began o bserving his lizard Divine Beast's bright blue patterns turn reddish pi nk, a menacing color he could only associate with the creepy words his Divine Beast 'told' him  not too long ago .  _Calamity Ganon_ .

Daruk did  _ not _ know how to handle this. He wasn't as well-informed on Calamity Ganon, the Divine Beasts, or anything, for that matter, as the other Champions.

Daruk tried to think fast, but there was nothing that came to mind, especially since Rudania was no longer paying mind to Daruk's words.

And that's when  _ it _ appeared.

Daruk didn't know how to describe it because he never saw anything like it, but it didn't take him long to draw to the conclusion that that thing must bare similarities to a being such as Calamity Ganon.

He remembered vaguely, Princess Zelda at his side with the Shiekah Slate in her hands as he loomed over her. She was there, on Rudania, to make sure everything was in running order and to check on his progress. That was when she told him about Calamity, and Ganon, all of which made no sense to him then, but now...

Well, it was staring at him with one cruel eye, armed with a menacing blade held by a bulky arm.  And it was  _ ugly _ .

Daruk gripped tightly to his boulder breaker, staring right back to the thing. He wasn't afraid, even though he could hear his heart beating in his ears. He wasn't feeling weak, though his muscles felt like they would give out in any moment.

No, he was Daruk of the Goron, Champion, and pilot of Vah Rudania.  He was not going to be intimidated by his enemy! He was stronger than that.

Although...it did look like the embodiment of pure evil.

In a moment of off-guardedness, with a screech, the thing swung its bladed hand right where Daruk was standing. Had Daruk not seen it coming at the last second, it would have certainly been the end of him, but before he could meet his untimely end, Daruk's arms flew in front of him  and creat ed a  magical barrier of protection. The attack  immediately rebounded, not even  leaving a  scratch  on  the surface of Daruk's glass-like shield.

The thing was not happy at the sudden resistance. It went in to attack again, slicing at Daruk horizontally, but before it could complete the ass au lt, Daruk moved in for the kill, striking the thing in the eye with a mighty swing of his weapon. It yelled out a high-pitched scream, body tossed aside Vah Rudania like a limp doll.

Daruk ran up to it, desperate to get the most damage done before it revived itself from unconsciousness. It rose slowly, hair covering its face a little and expression as fiery as fire itself.

“Had enough already, tough guy?!” Daruk roared.

Funnily, the thing roared back, its  hot  breath blowing on Daruk's face. It lifted its arm into the air, crying out as its blade randomly combusted into flames. Daruk took a step back,  feeling a little uneasy, even though Gorons were decently resistant to fire.

Then, it started  to  violently swing its arm as if it was throwing a fit, swinging here and there and making it very hard for Daruk to dodge. Even with his shied up, Daruk still felt himself get tossed about, though he was careful not to get himself strewn off of his Divine Beast.

The thing stopped its angry tirade of attacks, keeling over as much as a being of Calamity could, recharging for another quick outburst. Daruk to this as a time to head in to attack again.

As he was striking the horrid monster, he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit optimistic.

_ If it keeps going like this, this monster will be banished in no time _ !

Or, that was the plan until the thing rose quickly before Daruk had a chance to retreat, and it flung him away with a harsh shove. Daruk went airborne for a split second, colliding with the ground on his shoulder. He rolled for what seem like forever, reaching the edge of Rudania and almost falling off.

But, no. He was Daruk, and he wouldn't be taken down so easily! Quickly, he used gravity to his advantage and rolled onto his feet and turned to once more face the monster in the face.

“Come and get it!” Daruk yelled.

The thing did not move, and instead let out another loud roar. All of the sudden, a big orb of clear orange, somewhat similar to Daruk's protection, surrounded the thing. Hot air was beginning to draw towards the ball of orange at an alarming rate, and soon, Daruk found himself getting  drawn, too.  Daruk, desperate, hung on to one of the many ridges on Rudania's back. Unfortunately, that's when he lost grip of his boulder breaker, and he could do nothing to save it as it flew towards the monster and broke upon contact with the thing.

_ Oh, Hylia, this is not good. _ Daruk thought.

The monster let out another scream, prompting the vacuuming air to die down. Daruk sighed in relief and got up onto his feet, turning to face the horrid creature.

Now, Daruk had no weapon save for his fists, and only possessed a shield, _his_ magical shield. The only thing _that_ was good for was  for protection. And parrying certain attacks, of course, but that was a secondary trait and not entirely effective.

But its primary purpose was definitely useful, especially when the evil thing  _ exploded _ into a fiery inferno, shooting a gigantic ball of fire towards Daruk.

_ Gorons are resistant to fire! _ , Daruk thought gleefully,  taking this as a chance to  run  back up towards the creature, his fists clenched and ready to bite.

What Daruk  _ didn't _ expect, however, was the immediate explosion that happened when he first came into contact with the ball of fire.

He took the blow harder than he thought he would and his clunky body was thrown against the underside of Rudania's crested spine. Daruk grunted in pain, chips of the rocks on his back crumbling onto Rudania's metal.

Daruk got up on shaky limbs, muttering to himself, “Maybe that wasn't the best idea...”

Daruk looked up,  _ I hope this thing doesn't do that again...I can't risk being so reckless _ !

But almost immediately when Daruk looked to the thing, it started vacuuming hot air again, and Daruk had no choice but to hold on to Rudania best he could.

_ What to do, what to do _ ? Daruk thought, looking around for something, anything, he could use as a weapon. Just then, an idea appeared in his head.  _ Maybe I could use my protection as it is sucking in air to bring myself closer and when I'm right on top of it, I'll unleash a flurry of attacks! Hopefully that will put an end to it _ !

The only thing that concerned him,  though, was the fact that, well... t hat it was incredibly dangerous.

But it was his only shot.

So, without further hesitations, Daruk let go, keeping his shield up as he was dragged closer and closer to his opponent. As soon as he was close, uncomfortably close, Daruk let down his guard and began punching the thing with his strong Goron arms as harshly as he could manage.

“For Hyrule!” Daruk shouted fiercely.

Left, right, left, right. Daruk kept hitting it until he began to feel exhausted. The thing, frighteningly furious, threw Daruk down on the ground with little effort and swung its sword down straight onto Daruk's abdomen.

Daruk grunted loudly in pain, scurrying to his feet. He wasn't going to go down just yet! Not when the smell of victory was beginning to fill the air. Daruk stood his ground.

“C'mon, tough guy!! Give me all you got!!” Daruk yelled, running towards the thing in hopes that it would be his last run before the thing kicked the bucket.

It was insane to do that, and Daruk knew it, too. But he thought of his friends, his family, and the people of Hyrule, his home and home to millions of others, and that gave him strength and courage. He was a Champion assigned by Zelda, and he wasn 't going to let her down,  nor the other Champions !

But when Daruk approached the thing, it began doing something Daruk was terrified to know it could do; it began targeting Daruk with a laser that looked identical to those of the Guardians. And Daruk had seen the Guardians attack before.

The reticle was aimed for his chest.

_ I will make it _ .

The beeping was speeding up, like the pulse of Daruk's heart as it attempted to escape he ribcage.

_ I will make it _ .

Daruk was upon the beast  now, trying to get closer to somehow maim it, but he just  _ couldn't _ . Not in time.

T he next thing he heard was a deafening sound, and then he was in the air, seemingly flying in slow-motion.

Daruk could feel a burn coursing through his body, but he couldn't feel anything at the same time. He closed his eyes,  letting his body go limp as it finally hit the ground.

He was saddened by the fact he had failed, or thought he had failed his duty as a Champion, but he held no regrets. He would die honorably, if anything.

He only wished he could talk to his friends and family at least once before he came to his end.

 _I'm sorry, Princess._ Daruk thought with his dying breaths, _I couldn't save Rudania, or Hyrule. It's up to you and the little guy, now._ _And d_ _on't forget,_ _Princess_ _...to always stay stron_ _g, no matter what_.

And  then  Daruk sighed, accepting his fate and accepting the peace that came with death.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for killing Daruk, even tho it's canon, and /I/ did not kill Daruk. Daruk did not deserve to die.  
> Daruk is a teddy bear.


	3. The Rout of the Rito Champion Revali

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revali arrives at his Divine Beast when things become completely amiss...

Upon sight of Calamity Ganon, Revali was already eager to head into battle, being the warrior he was. Revali was the first to make himself scarce after Daruk gave the rational suggestion of heading to their Divine Beasts, and Medoh was a ways away after all, so he didn't want to keep Medoh from victory for too long. Not after all their preparations.

Revali took to the skies without even a farewell, the forceful winds leaving an aftermath of dust to swirl where Revali once stood.

Revali made great time as he swiftly crossed Hyrule Field and the Hyrule Ridge, shooting passed the Tanagar Canyon and over the Tabantha Frontier, until finally he reached the daunting metal bird circling Rito Village.

He was the third to reach his Divine Beast.

Revali landed gracefully onto Medoh's mossed wing and greeted Medoh through their special bond. Medoh rumbled loudly in response, and that made Revali smile. He could feel it in Medoh's growing anticipative atmosphere—the Divine Beast was more than ready to rip Calamity Ganon to shreds, and thankfully, that was just what Revali intended to. His blood boiled fervently with the want to send Ganon to oblivion.

Revali paced around Medoh briefly to distract himself from the tension building in his bones, busying himself on trying to find the best point in the sky to get a clear shot at Ganon. A pointless worry, however, since the Hyrule Castle was already in full view from Medoh's current position.

Revali tsked, feeling as if it were all too simple. Ganon would stand no chance against Medoh alone, and with the other Divine Beasts, it was sure that everything would be over just as quickly as it started. Revali, however, was cautious in making the mistake of underestimating Ganon. In that retrospect, Revali figured staying with Medoh was his best bet for now, especially if something _does_ go wrong. Understandable, more so now it is in Revali's knowledge that Zelda _still_ had no control over her sacred powers whatsoever. Concerning.

So, Revali supposed it was up to the _boy_ save the world with that _sword_ of his.

The snippy winds which pierced through Revali's heavy feathering brought Revali out of his thoughts and he decided to move quickly towards the control panel. Here while commanding Medoh, so high in the frosty air, Revali felt comfortable and in control.

He placed his feathered tips onto the freezing device, stroking Medoh absentmindedly as he cooed, “In a matter of moments, Medoh. Victory is upon us.”

He had no doubt in his mind that the other Champions were ready, too.

Revali turned his attention towards Hyrule Castle as a loud tremor caught his ear. Squinting through the newly falling snow, Revali could see Calamity Ganon rise from the ashes of darkness. The sudden activity at the castle made Revali weary, but he realized that this could mean that Zelda and Link were doing _something_ that was disagreeing with Ganon.

Maybe now was the time to strike. Maybe not. The other Champions haven't moved from their positions-

Wait.

Revali squinted even more, leaving the center of Medoh to peer over the Hyrule Castle to Death Mountain.

There, he could see Rudania seemingly descending from the mountain instead of at its post at the top. Revali hmphed, setting himself back on his heels. Maybe Daruk had a better idea, Revali prayed. This wasn't the time for mistakes, not even slightly.

Perhaps Daruk slipped up again, Revali reasoned, although he himself was becoming to grow more and more uneasy.

His sharp eye trailed to Death Mountain's neighboring domain—Zora's Domain—and Revali was shocked to see that Ruta, too, was not anywhere to be found.

He knew Mipha had full control of _her_ beast, and she wasn't one to mess up in combat, even despite her misleading appearance.

That's when Revali knew something was really wrong. Senses heightened, Revali pulled the Great Eagle's Bow from his back. Holding his beloved weapon made him feel calm, at least. He didn't know what was happening to Mipha nor Daruk, so should anything happen to him, he would be ready. Well, he hoped at least.

Revali turned back to the control panel. And nearly dropped his bow in shock.

Before him was a mass of purple ooze splotched with some kind of design that looked Shiekah. Its mask was black, from what he could tell, and it seemed as if it was holding—no, _bound_ to some kind of shooter weapon.

Revali's heart was beating fast as his mind jumped immediately from conclusion to conclusion.

Revali could sense its evil presence, even though a pungent rubber smell made itself known before Revali could identify the dark aura. This was surely the work of Calamity Ganon, that Revali was sure about, but how was it possible? No other beings than the Champions were allowed to enter the Divine Beasts, least of all a being created by Ganon's malice.

 _Yet_ , Revali deduced, _the thing is on board Medoh_ now _. Something must have changed to make it conceivable_.

Besides the credibility of that thought, Revali realized he had a much bigger problem ruffling his feathers than trying to understand how this monster came to be.

The fact was it had to be eradicated, so Revali needed to know what exactly it was capable of. And hopefully, he would find a weakness in said capabilities.

The next thing Revali remarked was how close Medoh was getting to Rito Village. It occurred to him that he had never ordered his beast to go down so close to civilization, especially not when he was trying to aim fro the castle. Revali quickly came to realize that the control on his beast was beginning to seep in between his feathers like sand, and he realized, also, that it was the _thing_ that was beginning to drain the connection between him and Medoh.

In a rare moment of panic, Revali placed his wing on a pillar which stood on Medoh's wing and commanded strongly to the beast to climb to greater heights. The words from his mind to Medoh seemed to fade to nothing but a whisper in the wind.

That was when the thing noticed _Revali's_ presence, perhaps because they were fighting over command over Medoh. The thing made its move first and began to shoot to Revali with that weird shooting mechanism it had on its hand. Revali was a hair late in avoiding the sudden assault solely because he didn't realize the monster acknowledged him in the first place.

The sudden blast launched Revali off the edge of Medoh and into the air. The side of his clavicle burned intensely as his wings moved instinctively to catch the updraft that would send him back onto Medoh.

It wasn't like he actually had a choice than to go back to Medoh, anyway. Medoh had its shields up, which was useful if the enemy was trying to get into Medoh, but pesky in instances like this one. Worse yet, Revali continued to realize that he was losing control of Medoh to Ganon as he obviously had not given the beast permission to use its shield. Nothing made him more frustrated than knowing that.

 _Then, there is no choice. I must fight._ Revali thought boldly as the growing energy of the fight began to fuel his bones.

With a swift flap of his wings, Revali soared _way_ above the clouds, the monster infesting his Divine Beast in his sights.

With a quick draw of his bow, bomb arrows equipped, Revali let loose a couple of arrows at a time. It was good that Revali was 'thought' to be dead by the thing—the thing apparently wasn't the shiniest star in the galaxy—and it allowed Revali a couple more chances to nock more arrows.

But Revali didn't find its weak point just yet, or rather, he didn't hit the weak point as accurately as he could. It was a difficult task that obstructed his skill; the amount of adrenaline flowing through his blood made it formidable to get a clean shot.

The thing below him screeched so loudly that even Revali caught sound of it over the howling winds. Revali was circling the thing, which was an advantage because he was able to get a better aim at his opponent. Revali was willing to take any advantages that presented themselves.

The thing, obviously displeased, suddenly turned into some kind of blue mass, almost like that teleporting technique he saw Zelda use at one point. In fact, Revali was sure that it was exactly that, for the monster was in front of him in an instant, floating nonchalantly in the sky as it menacingly pointed its hand-device at the Rito Champion.

_What in the-?_

Revali instantly recoiled and tucked his wings in to drop midway towards Medoh, because that was the only thing he could think of doing, mostly to avoid fire from the monster in the sky.

 _So, it c_ _an_ _fly, too,_ Revali thought, irate, _It seems we're on even ground, now_.

As expected, the thing shot from the sky to Revali, and it was worse now that the thing had a better vantage point.

Revali thanked the Goddess Hylia midair when he didn't get hit by a single projectile. What were they anyway? As far as Revali knew, they were dangerous, and that was enough motivation to keep him out of the lines of fire.

Anyway, it was Revali's turn to retaliate, and he drew his bow again to lose a couple more rounds of arrows. The attacks landed straight-on, and Revali was unsure, yet hopeful, that said attacks were dealing massive damage to the monstrous creature.

 _Movements that count are the ones that your heart deems true,_ Mipha once told him, and it became some kind of treasured motto for Revali, especially in instance like this one.

He let loose another flurry of arrows.

 _Power comes from the soul, not from the bones._ He could remember Urbosa tell him, and hearing that made him feel stronger.

Revali pulled his bowstring one last time to let loose the last of his bomb arrows, successful in hitting the thing right in the eye. With another screech, the thing went tumbling down onto Medoh's back with a sickening thud and a crunch.

Revali quickly landed on a pillar, switching his selection of arrows to shock arrows, and he continued in shooting the thing. After all, there was no proof that it was dead—even though it _should_ have been. Regardless, Revali liked to be _positive_ , and that proved to be good choice as the thing began rising again, murder clear in its expression.

Revali didn't even _want_ to linger. He took to the skies in an instant, but the proved to be quite a grave mistake. The thing apparently didn't like that one bit, and took it upon himself to shoot Revali from the skies.

The round of projectiles was aimed inhumanly perfect in time with Revali's movements. Revali could feel the hot trail the projectiles left behind as they flew around him, never hitting him, but getting uncomfortably close.

Revali was only able to shoot two or three arrows before the thing started shooting again in rapid succession. And this time, the shots were more accurate.

Immediately after the second shot, Revali was suddenly blasted away from his steady glide and sent spiraling down to Medoh.

Revali cursed himself and tried his best to stay midair even if the effort did prove to be fruitless. His right wing felt like it was on fire, particularly at the elbow when he bent it, and it hurt too much to continue to stay aloft.

 _I must fight the pain_ , Revali forced himself, flapping his wings to try to right himself from the spiral. He tried not to mind the pain so much—that would only distract him from his duty.

Regardless, Revali sputtered in the air like a stalling guardian, dropping harshly ever so often until the wing of Medoh was right beneath his talons.

He had no choice but to fight on land.

The thing was upon him now, looming over Revali like a shadow of death, but Revali remained unfazed.

Just as the thing was beginning to set up another shot, Revali dodged behind a pillar. Revali peered around the stone mass as he readied his bow, unsurprised to see the thing warp away.

Quickly, Revali assessed the wound on his wing. It was inflamed and very painful to move. Revali wondered if he even had the strength to use his bow, but he threw that thought out the window as he reminded himself that Hyrule was at stake!

What caught his attention next was a whirring sound, definitely not a sound Revali's heard before, and he looked over the pillar again, tightening up his bow in the process like a hunter preparing to shoot his prey.

Something Revali had never noticed about this monster he wish he did were the four tapered points protruding from the back of the thing, and the reason that _that_ caught Revali's interest so quickly was because they weren't simply _four tapered spikes_.

They were like pesky bees buzzing around Medoh, positioning themselves in odd ways. Revali couldn't identify the pattern, but then they become motionless. One was positioned in front of Revali.

Suddenly, the familiar shooting sound of the Ganon manifestation reached Revali's ears, and Revali did not take his time in making himself scarce.

In fact, he noticed that the creature had stopped paying attention to him altogether because it was too busy focusing on its 'minions.'

Obviously, it was the perfect time for Revali to shoot, and so he did the best he could manage with an injured wing.

The plus side was the he got damage done. The downside was that he regained the thing's attention, and worse, he couldn't escape through the air.

Well, he didn't actually need to take off, though, because the thing began to summon the exact thing Revali _thought_ he had mastered control of. High, intense winds. Revali would typically _enjoy_ that and use it to his advantage, but the winds summoned were _tornadoes_. And even if he wanted to, he knew his wing was _not_ fit for flying.

And also unfortunately, his wings were still wings, and due to the sudden updraft, Revali was involuntarily flung into the air much higher than his gale usually took him. It was ironically entirely out of his control when he was in the air, and he could do nothing but let the high winds toss him about.

Revali was distraught, to say the least, when the winds died down and let him free-fall down back to Medoh. Of course, it would have been easy to glide back down to Medoh, but given the circumstances, Revali was helpless.

Painfully, Revali collided with the corner of a pillar directly on his shoulder, and then he ungracefully smacked onto the metal floor, beak faced down.

Revali laid there for what seemed like minutes, dazed by the sudden collision.

 _I need to get up, but I can't move. Everything hurts. This could be the end of me._ Revali wailed in his thoughts. _If only Mipha were here!_

The nearing presence of the thing—or rather, the _things_ , was what motivated Revali to stand up and face his enemy once more. The thing was aiming at the smaller minions, again, not paying mind to Revali. Revali stumbled away from the aim of the giant monster. The last thing he wanted was to get shot again.

Revali pulled out his bow, the aftermath of the fall still keeping him dizzy, but he paid no mind. _I have a duty to fulfill. I'm not going to die without trying._

Revali was focused on one thing and one thing only: getting a lethal shot at the thing.

But of course, due to his injuries, especially now with the one concerning his shoulder, which Revali could tell was _definitely_ broken, the arrow missed. Thank the Goddess Hylia, so did the thing's projectiles.

Still, Revali cursed himself, _Why? Why now? Now, when it's critical- why?_

Again, he desperately tried to aim for the monster, which was, to Revali's dismay, busy loading for another volley of projectiles. Revali tried his best to ignore the pain, but it was all too much, and Revali lowered his bow with a frustrated groan, looking for something, _anything_ , that would help him in this instance.

He wasn't given much time, and before he knew it, a buzzing sound was among him, and panic began to rise to his throat because he didn't know what to do anymore.

He counted the things, hoping to avoid them to give him more time to think—how many of them were there?

One, two, three. No, there was a fourth one, wasn't there?

Behind him, he heard a buzzing.

Revali inhaled sharply in horror, racing to get out of whatever line of sight he was in, only it was too late. The thing had already shot its projectile, giving Revali little time to escape, and the burning explosion made a powerful impact on Revali's chest in a matter of seconds.

Revali remembered being blown off of Medoh, slipping off the rounded corners of the Divine Beast's smooth metal. He remembered feeling a burning sensation in his chest, his being feeling like the sear was eating away at his flesh. He remembered feeling something cold hugging him, even under his plumage, and not being able to breath. And, well...that was the last thing he remembered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little long, but I SWEAR TO HYLIA Revali is NOT my favorite Champion (Urbosa is).  
> Also, sorry for the delay! I got exhausted when I was writing this b/c writing fight scenes is HARD.  
> Lastly...  
> I totally forgot Windblight could summon tornadoes.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Breath of the Wild!! I love the characters, the story, the gameplay, the visuals...just everything about it!!  
> ...And I wanted more of the Champions so I wrote this.


End file.
